As is well known, perspiration (or sweat) is the saline fluid secreted by the sweat glands. It consists chiefly of water containing: sodium chloride and other salts; nitrogenous substances (including urea); carbon dioxide; and so forth. In man, the sweat glands are of minor importance as excretory channels; the major function of perspiration being to regulate the temperature of the body by cooling as a result of evaporation. A small, rather variable, amount of such secretion and evaporation (called insensible perspiration) goes on constantly. The amount increases with temperature, muscular exertion, etc.
Contrary to a common, non-technical, lay conception, it is also known that sweat is not the culprit in the production of body odor. Rather, the cause for same is the interaction of sweat with certain bacteria that are normally present on the skin. It is this bacterial action on perspiration as formed that results in characteristic body odors.
Three types of glands in the skin produce the secretions called "sweat". Dermatologists and others skilled in the art generally opine and hold to the belief that the normal, fresh secretions of all three types of glands are at least by-and-large substantially, if not completely, odorless in nature. The relatively foul smell or odor associated with sweat and sometimes characterized as "sweaty" does not generate until there occurs the bacterial decomposition of the involvolved perspiratory secretions and exudations.
The potential for odor formation appears to vary and differ following any sudorific activity for each type of involved sweat-producing gland.
Thus, and somewhat suprisingly in the absence of any perspicacious introspection, the major sources of body perspiration, which are the so-called eccrine glands, are relatively unimportant in odor formation upon and after sweating. This is for the simple reason that eccrine sweat notoriously contains only trace amounts of organic material suitable for bacterial action thereupon. The eccrine glands, in this connection, primarily function and assist to control the body temperature. For the most part, they are only active during exercise and exertion; being also performative in response to nervous tension(s), embarrassment and so forth. In certain body areas, such as the palms, soles and underarms, they produce perspiration at lower temperatures and are there readily and particularly capable of activity in association with or consequence to emotional stress.
Apocrine glands, in contrast, produce perspiration that is characterizable in being rich in organic material quite aptly susceptible to vigorous bacterial action. These glands are stimulated predominantly by emotional stress (such as, by way of illustration, fear or pain) and their activity is not noticeably increased in the typical cases by hot weather or exercise.
The third type of skin gland(s) are the sebaceous glands. These produce and provide for skin lubrication an oleaginous material called sebum. At least for people with regular bathing habits and good hygienic discipline, the sebaceous glands play only a relatively minor role insofar as concerns body odor(s).
By deductive procedure in view of what is known about the origin(s) and causation(s) of body odor, there are two (2) ostensible approaches to its prevention and/or cure. These, namely, are to either, or both: (1) impede bacterial action; and/or (2) reduce or minimize sweating. Deodorants and deodorant soaps or detergents and the like are intended to accomplish the first named approach while, on the other hand, antiperspirants and antiperspirant agents are obviously intended for and aimed at accomplishment of the second (althoug, in fact, they may do both of the mentioned functions).
In this connection, some antiperspirants are sometimes called "deodorants" by their manufacturers; even though such products in the commercial market generally include the saving statement "checks perspiration" in association therewith. This indicates that the active ingredients thereof are capable of affecting the sweating function of the body. On the other hand, deodorant soaps, underarm deodorants and the like simple deodorizing materials and agents that merely more or less treat the symtoms of body odor have no contra-sudorific value and more-or-less only serve to mask offensive odor(s). In this, some destructive action of and upon the odor may also be involved. Nonetheless and as has been indicated, a number of so-called "deodorant" products oftentimes contain antiperspirant materials and agents in their composition.
Unfortunately, many of the currently commercially-available antiperspirant concoctions are relatively useless for a proportionately minor group of people who are afflicted with a condition known as hyperhidrosis. This is an innate diaphoretic abnormality which involves the production of large amounts of sweat observed probably more often in and by the underarm glands; even though it is not at all uncommon insofar as concerns such hidrotic phenomenon to be observably-present in and with the sweat glands of either or both the hands or feet. No entirely satisfactory solution for such malady has heretofore been known or available. Medications are almost invariably of no help for such hyperhidrotic occurrences; the sort of abnormal sweating associated therewith being quite often, if not entirely, believed and held by competent authority to be due to localized overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system. In any event and, if not actually experienced, as can readily be appreciated, it is a most unpleasant and rather dreadful condition; being so troublesome in some rare instances as to require undesirable surgery for its correction.
Notwithstanding and even in the absence of the described abnormality, excessive and exaggerated sweating may quite frequently be caused by (and, in fact, is an appropriate pysiological response to) emotional stress and/or physical exercise.
Associable therewith and as a particularized illustration thereof, excessive perspiration of the feet may produce a particularly and distinctively objectionable odor of markedly disagreeable and displeasing olfactory essence. This comes from the specifically and relatively peculiar action of bacteria tending to predominantly inhabit the epidermal or superficial skin layers on the soles the feet.
Additionally and as an aggravating compounding of the immediate distasteful and unhappy effect(s) and consequence(s) of pedal perspiratory residues and retentions, the presence of sweat leavings on the feet oftentimes, if not invariably, encourages and promotes the undesirable and unwanted growth of such fungi and the like organisms as are capable of causing relatively dishabilitating and quite distressing infections or pseudo infections of the sort of acute and chonic inflammations that are typified by and commonly known as "athlete's foot" and so forth, including equivalents thereof.
Prior hereto, the above-indicated and -explained manner and modes of remediation(s) were all that was available to people with a severe and/or extraordinary problem of foot perspiration propensity. Actually (and as good-enough advice under any circumstance attending the mentioned problem), people whose feet tended to undergo excessive perspiration were advised to indulge (whenever possible) in the wearing of sandals on open-weave construction shoes and/or to dress in or with hosiery of cotton or wool rather than nylon (and other synthetics) or silk. Liberal dusting of the feet with plain talc and the like or equivalent powders (many of which are medicated) was and still is urged to help absorb sweat and discourage fungic growth(s).
Dissatisfactorily as it has been, neither nor both of such previous procedures (including use of deodorants and/or anti-perspirants as well as the mechanical varieties of expedients for alleviation of the problem) did little if anything to actually and dispositively check or arrest the production of excess sweating on the feet; being more-or-less designed and adapted to merely and fundamentally treat the involved and attendant symtoms without actually effectively attacking the real source of the problem(s).
Formaldehyde, per se, is a normally gaseous substance which has a melting point of -92.degree. C. and a boiling point of -21.degree. C. Its specific gravity is 0.815. It is most ordinarily available as the so-called Formaldehyde Solution (also known as "Formalin", "Formol" and/or "Morbicid"). This is a solution of about 37 percent by weight, based on total composition weight (i.e., "% by wt.) of formaldehyde gas in water. Usually, about 10-15% by wt. of methanol (i.e., wood alcohol) is added to Formaldehyde Solution compositions as a polymerization inhibitor, although many of the obtainable Formaldehyde Solution(s) are devoid of any such alcoholic additament. Typical of commercial Formaldehyde Solution is that obtained under the "CHEMLINE" Trade Designation from AMERICAN DRUG INDUSTRIES, Inc. of Chicago, Illinois 60671. The indicated Formaldehyde Solution is the same strength as that called "Formalin" and known under such appellation as "Formalin 40%" which signifies that it contains 40 grams of the formaldehyde itself in each 100 milliliters of the solution (the same being equivalent to the indicated 37% by wt. solution). Formaldehye and Formaldehyde Solution are deadly and dangerous poisons which are prudently handled with great care.
Formaldehyde is also commercially available as the so-called Paraformaldehyde, which is polymerized formaldehyde of the formula: (CH.sub.2 O).sub.n and is also known as "Paraform", "Triformol" and "trioxymethylene". Paraformaldehyde, which bears the odor of formaldehyde, dissolves slowly in cold water and more readily in hot water and is obtained by concentrating Formaldehyde Solution.
Formaldehyde Solution and other preparations of formaldehyde find use for disinfection of dwellings, ships, storage houses, utensils, clothing, etc. It has found employment as a germicide and fungicide for plants and vegetables: destroying in this files and other insects. It can prevent mildew and spelt in wheat and certain forms of rot in oats.
Medically, it has found usage as an antiseptic and has also been employed to combat (when applied in 1-2% by wt. aqueous solutions) bacterial infections of mucous membranes. It has further been suggested for utilization in the treatment of various fungus infections of the skin as well as for ivy infections and poisoning and, in very dilute solutions, as a vaginal douch. It has been specifically proposed in strong 20-30% by wt. solutions as: an astringent for the handling of hyperhidrosis; as a keratolytic; and (in concentrations up to as great as 100% by wt.) for eradiction of nevi (such as birthmarks, moles, etc.) and papillomata (such as corns, warts, etc.). In about 2-10% by wt. concentrations, it has been utilized to disinfect surgical instruments and garb (including gloves) and, at about a 10% by wt. level, for disinfection of excreta. Its preservative powers for histological specimens and cadavers is, needless to mention, well known.
Most often, as will hereinafter be more specifically illustrated, the usage of formaldehyde for medical and pharmaceutical purposes has been when the same is contained as an ingredient in specialized and purposively-formulated (often with multiple functions therein inherent) compositions and preparations containing various other ingredients and components designed to ameliorate or in some way beneficiate the formaldehyde-containing formulation.
For veterinary purposes, Formaldehyde Solution and its derivatives and formaldehyde-containing equivalents thereof have been put into external use for such thing as demodectic mange in and of dogs and other skin diseases incident to and inflicted upon the larger animals, such as eczema and acne. Undiluted Formaldehyde Solution has been employed for treating such things as canker of the frog of the horse. Injections of Formaldehyde Solution intraveinously was at one time used in veterinarial treatment of pneumonia. Orally, it was also employed in veterinary practice in administrations as a gastro-intestinal antiseptic in white scours, cattle bloat and mastitis; commonly requiring dosages for horses and cattle of about 8-30 milliliters of the Formaldehyde Solution in well-diluted aqueous preparations.
Formaldehyde solution, per se, exhibits definite human toxicity. Topical application of same may definitely produce an irritant dermatitis. Ingestion may cause severe abdominal pain, hematemesis, hematuria, proteinuria, anuria, acidosis, vertigo, coma and death. Thus, as is readily apparent, its handling and usage must be very prudently and with great caution and care undertaken and done; this re-emphasizing the rule already stated.
By way of illustration of what is involved with the typical formaldehyde concoctions for employment in representative disinfectant, antiseptic and astringent capacities, reference may be had to the relatively complex and multi-componential compositions and formulations disclosed and taught in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 627,642; 628,502; 934,844; 1,920,639; and 2,507,236 to mention only a few of the salient and typical items put forth in prior art concerning use of formaldehyde for medical and the like purposes.
It is noteworthy and significant, however, to discern and take into recognizing full account that the great preponderance of hitherto-followed usages of formaldehyde for therapeutic purposes has intrinsically been along expost-facto and curative or remedial lines rather than in any preventive capacity for any given purpose, including even that pertaining to sudorific or hidrotic problems and occurrences and various medicaments touted therefor.
Consequently and unavoidably, the prior art does not appear to concern itself with preventive techniques or procedures involving in any measure or form formaldehyde usage for the avoidance of problems and difficulties arising from excessive sweating, particularly as concerns foot perspiration and it attendant perplexations and dire influences and effects from both the social nicety and health points of view, in order to have satisfactory and effective control in a direct and straightforward manner that is uncluttered with complication of the excessive sweating phenomena and resultants thereof in the way so indigenuously advantageous and simple as in the present contribution to the art; and very especially as that relates to undue and abnormal sweating of and by the feet of individuals viably and unfortunately plagued with such perplexing conundrum.